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GREENSBORO — This certainly isn't what athletics director Wheeler Brown meant last October, when he talked about bringing "Aggie Fever" back to N.C. A&T football.

After the season, Brown went out and found his coach. This week, that coach — and a handful of his players — have struggled with the flu.

"It's a great day to be an Aggie, no doubt about it," a subdued Alonzo Lee said Monday at his weekly news conference. "My voice is a little weary today. I think I prayed that 102 temperature out of my boys and prayed it into myself. My temperature was 101 last night."

Lee, usually a fountain of enthusiasm, was only mildly upbeat after the Aggies' come-from-behind 17-13 victory over Norfolk State.

"Last week, we had six guys who had 102-degree temperatures," Lee said Monday. "We had some guys who weren't even able to practice at all. We knew it was going to be tough, but we made it through."

Among those six were two key starters on defense: middle linebacker Brandon Jackson and free safety Nick Clement. Jackson led the team with 12 tackles and a sack against Norfolk State, and Clement made five stops.

"Most of the guys are bouncing back," Lee said. "We've got two guys who are down with (flu) right now. Two, plus the coach. ... We're starting to bounce back."

RED ZONE, DEAD ZONE: In two games this season, N.C. A&T's offense has had the ball inside its opponents' 20-yard line 12 times. The Aggies have come away with four touchdowns and three field goals, a scoring rate of 58 percent.

"Bottom line: We're in there too many times not getting in the end zone," Lee said. "We're leaving some points on the field we need to take advantage of."

Lee said the play-calling has been good, but the execution of those plays has been ragged — particularly in the passing game. Senior quarterback Carlton Fears was 6-for-17 through the air against Norfolk State, and he's been inconsistent close to the goal line.

"Sometimes we've got a guy open and throw it behind him," Lee said. "Sometimes we hold the ball a little too long."

Look for the Aggies to stick to a spread formation in the red zone, and use tailbacks Mike Mayhew, Dontavious Payne and Tony Coles more.

"I think that may be our forté right now, to keep guys spread out," Lee said, "because we're doing a real good job in our zone offense running the ball. We're going to put more emphasis on that."

FEARS FACTOR: Although A&T's quarterback has struggled at times, Carlton Fears has protected the ball.

The Aggies have no turnovers in their first two games, and Fears hasn't come close to throwing an interception.

"Carlton's best football is still ahead of him," Lee said. "You see him kind of hesitant in the passing game, but he's made plays when he had to.

"Once that passing game starts to complement our running game the way it should, we're going to have an outstanding offense. He's holding the ball just a little bit too long, but he's making decent decisions and he's gotten better each and every game."

RUNNING BACKS: Tony Coles got the start at tailback against Norfolk State over Mike Mayhew and Dontavious Payne for disciplinary reasons.

All three played, and Mayhew finished with 87 yards and a touchdown to earn MEAC rookie-of-the-week honors. (Right tackle Jason Valmont was the league's offensive lineman of the week).

Coles had 41 yards on just four carries.

"He's definitely in that three-man rotation," Lee said. "The other two ... are more explosive. But Tony is a hard-nosed, run-you-over back. We don't lose a step with Tony in the game. He definitely will see more playing time."

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com